Vetiver for Land Restoration

Sunday, January 6, 2013

This is the way to go!! Get the schools involved - see following report from Bruna Lage in Brazil

"A group of environmental engineering students with support from the state school, Herbert de Souza, developed a project that may help treat sewage. The technology that treats the waste water before disposal to a sewage pond, should ease situations where the 4000 residents of Santana do Paraiso have no access to formal sewage treatment plants. Currently all the sewage from the neighborhood is discharged into an untreated pond.

Luiz Claudio da Silva Costa, a student of environmental engineering, developed the project with three other people, from a partnership between school and students. The students decided to propose a solution for the neighborhood and the school in terms of environmental education. Luiz explains that studies on the environmental and social issues are relevant to the project, and noted that the school had good slope and sufficient area available. We used sand, gravel and pipe, and vetiver grass. The cost of implementing the project was about $750. Luiz explained that the grass is used normally for slopes tabilization, however, but is also used for sewage treatment in other countries such as China and Thailand. We verified its efficiency of wastewater treatment and saw that it has features to adapt to any type of soil,

The sewage from a school bathroom is directed to a masonry box 40 x 40 cm, which basically functions as a primary treatment, for the retention of coarse solids such as paper and hair. It then passes through layers of sand and gravel and in the background, has a perforated pipe that collects all the treated sewage, which falls on a slope and in the school drop box that is connected to the collector of the district. "This will have wastewater treated, coming to have 69.2% result, proven in the analysis. We started the project about a month ago and we can already observe its efficiency" said Luiz.

According to the school principal, Santana do Paraiso is an unusual city because it has pockets of high and low density. The sewage treatment in the traditional manner would be inconsistent with the city. "We were approached with the proposal to develop a sewage treatment pilot here at school and found it interesting in view the need, and also because the school and its students would spread the knowledge," he said. The school is providing the land, according to the director, and is contributing to local society with a new treatment alternative. Students participate in monitoring the system and the process, which becomes an environmental education program. "We have children involved from the beginning, ((elementary school through the 3rd year of high school. They also contribute using the bathroom that contributes to the waste water! The intent of the project, explains Luiz, is trying to help cities that do not have treatment. "We intend to publish the article and spread the idea, leading to rural communities and contributing to the environment," he said. About the durability of the season, the student explains that a maintenance center well done and well monitored, can last about 20 years without maintenance and with the same efficiency".